Ever crashed?

[Viirin]

Anyone on here ever total their GZ (or another bike)?

Just something that doesn't seem to be discussed around here a lot - i had a small crash last year but only cracked the front fender and the bike didn't even fall but just wondering has anyone had to get anything major done to their GZ or even replaced it after a crash?

Vii

[alanmcorcoran]

Never had even a minor scrape on the Geezer but I had two little whoopshits on the Strat, both at low speed. One scratched up the right saddle bag and the other I eventually had to replace the front blinker and scratched up the floorboard the brake lever and a bit of the windshield. The Geezer's like a bicycle in comparison.

[frempath]

In my younger days I have dumped a bike 3 times. All 3 involved breaking the rear tire loose at low speed.
1) Parking lot had a sharp "S" to slow folks down as they came off a major street. Came in as I always did, but this time some gravel had accumulated on the concrete. Leaned into the curve and out went the rear, and under a pick-up truck went I. Dinged the bike and road-rashed me.

2) Coming home on a clay bed gravel road after a night shift. Construction had started on a bridge and crew was spraying water everywhere, I guess to keep dust down. Very greasy situation and as I applied some throttle to get up a grade, dumped it. Would been nice if the crew would have helped get me out from under the bike, but hey they were union and didn't get paid for that. Just dings, cuts and bruises.

3) Coming around a sharp curve on county blacktop with gravel cross roads. Caught some gravel on the blacktop and the rear broke loose. This time I felt the bike going, let go of the bars, planted my right foot, did a hard pivot while swinging the left leg over the bike, and walked/ran away from the bike without injury.

First and Third probably could have been avoided with more attentiveness on my part. The second, nope cause I was stuck driving through the mess as it was the only way home.

frempath

[alantf]

Last year while overtaking a 4x4 he decided to turn left without checking his mirror. The bike went down and the parts that needed replacing were crashbar, bar ends, clutch lever, brake pedal, mirrors, luggage box, handlebars, headlight & bracket, front mudguard, indicator lenses.

All this, & I'd only had the bike back on the road for a fortnight (two weeks) after someone reversed into it whilst it was parked. That time it had all the above parts replaced, plus the exhaust (which got scratched).

So you see, these parts have all been replaced twice. It's a good job the other driver's insurance paid up both times. And it's one of the resons I won't ride without crash bars. They certainly saved my legs when the bike went down.

[dhgeyer]

1. When I was 21 and stupid I had some clothes tied on the back fender of my Ducati 250, because I didn't have any other way to attach them. They came loose and jammed the back wheel. I was doing 45 maybe 50 on a back country road. If I'd had the training then that I have now, I'd probably have been able to bring it to a stop. As it was I got it down to 20 or 25 before I went down. Minor damage to the bike, and I had a sore back for a while.

2. Three years ago my wife and I were riding two up on my Kawasaki Concours C10 sport touring bike. We were going 50 to 55 on a good 2 lane US route. It was 4:00 PM on a perfect June day, with absolutely no impediment to anyone's vision. A young lady coming out of a side road didn't see us and pulled out at exactly the worst possible moment. I swerved violently and almost missed her. She actually hit us. My right hard bag took off her front license plate. It wasn't a severe impact, but it was enough to knock us off the bike. I tumbled and rolled about 100 feet down the road. I paced it off later. I'm pretty sure ATGATT saved my life. I got up and walked away with minor injuries. My wife broke 20 bones in 26 places including most of the ribs where they attach to her spine in the back, had two punctured lungs (they burst from the pressure, but with lungs that only makes fairly small holes), severely damaged her left shoulder, and suffered a traumatic brain injury. I'm absolutely sure that ATGATT saved her life. We were wearing full face DOT and Snell approved helmets, and if she suffered a brain injury with that on there's no way she would have survived without it. She never recovered completely, and never will. It ended her career. She is now on long term disability from her insurance company and the Social Security Administration. The case has not settled yet, but it will within the next few months.

[Sarris]

From my previous post "The Story"

Originally Posted by Sarris

In April 2006, I was riding my 2005 Yamaha 1700 Roadstar (120 hp Barons modified) with another biker, enjoying the ride and just minding our own biz. We came around a blind corner onto a cage that had come to a full stop in an area where it is illegal to turn. She had no turnsignal on, but was turned slightly to the right. My buddy was on my right. He swerved between a power pole and a sign, and thought he was going to hit her. I swerved left to go around her (there was no oncoming traffic) and just as my front wheel got beside her left rear tire, she made a left, and I t-boned her at 35 mph. The momentum made made the bike snap sideways to the right, crushing my right foot and ankle (from about midcalf down) between the cage and the bike. After 4 hours of orthopaedic surgery and 7 days in the hospital, I was relegated to a wheelchair and was totally non-ambulatory for 6 months. I now have a 12" long scar on the outside of my right ankle where a titanium plate and 10 screws was inserted and there is a bunch of miscellaneous metal bits and pieces holding all my foot and toe bones together. Every bone in my ankle and foot was broken, as well as both leg bones that were broken off just above the ankle. The surgeon commented that had this happened 10 years ago, I would have lost my foot. I was wearing riding boots, a leather jacket, gloves, and a 3/4 helmet.

The woman driving the cage never saw me. She also had just enough insurance to get a tag in Florida, and no other assets. I got nothing. My $18k bike was totalled.

It was was only time in 35 years of riding that I got clanged, so I got it out of the way. I don't limp and I can still ride. Just another very valuable life lesson.

Shit happens. End of story.

:oops:

[dannylightning]

i almost crashed the other day, i went to stop, leanded the bike over and went to put my foot down and some how it stuck on the foot peg and i almost fell over.. kind of funny actually, got my foot off in time to save it haha..

[Water Warrior 2]

Originally Posted by dannylightning

i almost crashed the other day, i went to stop, leanded the bike over and went to put my foot down and some how it stuck on the foot peg and i almost fell over.. kind of funny actually, got my foot off in time to save it haha..

That's more of a drop than a crash with bloodshed. 4 drops for me in 5 years and once I wasn't even on the bike.

Dirt bikes are different. You know you will crash, flop over, spin out or just plain have a blonde moment with a resulting get off. Lots of fun if speeds are not death defying and you have protective gear. It's the most fun you can have with your cloths on.

[ncff07]

Almost dropped my GZ twice forgetting to kick the stand down but never crashed. Almost did over the weekend though. Was going down a 4 lane road doing around 50 and noticed a white car fixing to pull out in front of me. I let off the throttle and covered the clutch and brakes and checked the lanes to the left of me(i was in the far right lane). The driver hit the brakes hard, you could tell since it "bowed" up, front goes down and back goes up and got stopped with the front bumper barely in the road. Had already decided if he did pull out I'd have had to hit the gas and swerve over to the center turn lane cause I didnt know which lane the car would have been trying to get to.

[Viirin]

Man, people just shouldn't drive...at all